Front of Field Gets Tight, Mid-Ohio Marks Mid-Season
Salem, NH – 2013’s reigning F2000 Champion is off to a dominating start in the 2014 F2000 Championship Series, but as the grid marks the mid-way point of the year this weekend at Mid-Ohio, Tim Minor finds himself under threat at the front of the field. Rounds five and six in June at VIR produced an ultra-competitive weekend that proved a number of cars could find themselves in victory circle.
Thomas McGregor put his foot down at VIR, taking the first victory for the new Spectrum chassis which continues to pick up speed rapidly. Meanwhile, Sam Beasley and his Polestar Van Diemen reset the VIR track (race lap) record, proving that the Van Diemen chassis offering has some significant life left when put in the right hands.
Coming into rounds seven and eight, Beasley and his Polestar team find themselves at their home race, both hailing from Ohio.
Eric Langbein Racing’s Skylar Robinson was a threat at VIR and continues to look for his second win of the season, hoping to bounce back after qualifying on pole, but spinning out of the race lead in Virginia.
Elsewhere, David Grant nearly won both F1600 races in 2013 for Polestar, and still seeks his maiden F2000 win, while Kevin Kopp has put together a nice string of podium runs in 2014 and continues to build momentum in the No. 66 Kopp Motorsports Van Diemen.
Showing some pace in June, Jason Rabe stormed through the field from last on the grid to finish seventh at VIR, driving for K-Hill Motorsports, and is coming off a competitive Spec Racer Ford one-off showing in New Jersey.
Tim Paul may have finally shaken his bad luck, following car problems that sidelined him in May at Watkins Glen and again at VIR for the complete weekend. The driver of the CellMark Paper entry also nearly wrote off an MX-5 Cup car in Houston. A day later, he bounced back to finish fourth. In 2012, Paul famously collided with Robert La Rocca at Mid-Ohio as the two fought for the same piece of real estate and a potential race win on a late restart.
What about John LaRue? The one-off racer showed up at Mid-Ohio and found a way past Tim Minor for a win in 2013, and could be a significant factor at the front of the field.
Marking their 2014 F2000 debuts at Mid-Ohio, in addition to LaRue, will be Robert Allaer, Gary Machiko, Craig Clawson, Connor Gawry and Trent Walko.
Continuing the trend, the name of the game at Mid-Ohio is track time, as the Series offers entrants a large window of testing on Thursday evening, followed by double practice sessions on Friday, and Saturday and Sunday each featuring a morning 30-minute qualifying session and afternoon race, rounds seven and eight of the 14-race season.